Dr Frasier, Medicine Woman 2: Falling Up
by jessmerrick
Summary: Sam pushes herself and requests to rejoin SG-1, but finds she doesn't get the support she was expecting...
1. A Request

Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman

1.2: Falling Up (Part 1)

By JolinarCarterOkay, this is the second episode. If you haven't read "Because Its There," then do so now. This won't make sense without it.I hope you enjoy this as much as the last...thank you for all the feedback! Keep it coming!Enough chit chat, here is FALLING UP!Where is this title from? It's from an episode of Higher Ground, I thought it really suited this.

* * *

----- Wednesday -----Samantha Carter sat up in her bed, and immediately began crying. Nightmares were still plaguing her. They just wouldn't stop coming. She reached over to the nightstand, attempting to pick up her glass of water. Her hand slipped and she ended up knocking it on to the floor.  
  
She was cursing, about to get out of bed when the door opened and a very sleepy looking teenager entered in her Homer pyjamas. She walked in to the bathroom across the hall and returned with some paper towels and a dustpan and brush. She carefully managed to avoid stepping on the glass shards, as she dusted it up. She looked up at Sam and smiled. "It's okay, Sam, really. Are you all right?"  
  
"I had a nightmare, reached for my water. I guess I'm still rather shaky, and all," she sniffed. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Yeah," Cass nodded. She placed the pan and brush on the floor and left the paper towels to do their work, climbing up on to the bed beside her friend. "Nightmares every night. Have you told that psychologist dude?"  
  
"No. Uh, please don't tell your mother about this," Sam begged. Cassandra thought for a moment, and then reluctantly agreed.  
  
"Okay, I won't tell. I think you should tell her if you're having problems though," Cass shrugged, getting under the covers.  
  
"Was I really that loud?" Sam frowned. She had tried to be quiet with her cursing.  
  
"No...I was already awake," The girl replied, resting her head on the left pillow.  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Nightmares," she sighed.  
  
"Every night too, huh?" Suddenly Sam felt kind of bad. There she was complaining about a few weeks worth of nightmares, when Cassandra had spent most of her life dealing with them.  
  
"Yep. Every night for around seven years," she laughed, sadly.  
  
"Stay with me?" Sam offered, stretching out her arm, indicating that she wanted the girl to snuggle up.  
  
"Gladly," she agreed, grinning and lying closer. "Good night, Sam."

-----

Cassandra was up quite early the next morning – well – four hours later – it had been early morning when she had gone in to the guest room with Sam.  
  
She made herself some toast and a cup of herbal tea and sat down on the couch to watch some t.v. She flicked through several channels before stopping on Fox, watching a The Simpsons repeat. Jack had gotten her addicted in recent years.  
  
Janet emerged at around 7am, as bright and perky as usual. "Hey, honey, been up long?" She asked, making herself a coffee and sitting down.  
  
"No, about an hour maybe. Simpsons marathon," she explained, looking back to the screen and laughing at Bart's antics.  
  
"Cool. I bet Colonel O'Neill is watching. I think I need to call him for a long chat," Janet joked, kissing her daughter's forehead.  
  
"Do you have a death wish?" Cassy giggled.  
  
Sam was awoken by all of the giggling coming from the lounge. She smiled slightly, and got out of bed. She put on her dressing gown and slippers and joined them in the living room. "Morning."  
  
"Good morning Sam," Janet beamed. "How did you sleep?"  
  
Cassy looked at Sam, but she just smiled and said, "Great. Thanks. You know, I really appreciate you putting me up for a while."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem. Sorry your room is so small though," the doctor nodded. "Do you want some tea?" She asked, starting to get up.  
  
"No, I can make it," Sam nodded, making her way over to the kettle. "See?"  
  
"Great. You'd better get dressed in a minute, and me actually. We're meant to be on the base early today. It's 8 til 8," Janet informed her. "Cassy, what are you up to today, on your leave?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Gracie and I were gonna hit the mall," the teen replied, with a big shrug. "I'm not sure if we're going though."  
  
"We have this amazing new invention," Sam called from the kitchen. "It's called the telephone!"  
  
"Yeah I'll call you later let you know our plans," Cass told her mom, getting up and placing her cup next to the kettle. "Another herbal tea I think."  
  
"Which one would you like?" Sam asked as she made her own up.  
  
"Uh, the berries one please," she replied, taking the box out of the cupboard. "So you have more physio and stuff right?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm going to do extra again," Sam replied as she put the kettle down. "There you go sweetie."  
  
"Thanks. Don't work too hard!"  
  
"You sound like Janet!" Carter giggled, taking a sip of her tea. When Janet turned back to the t.v, and Cassy was en-route to the couch, her face fell and she put down her mug, and rested on the work surface. Cassy did notice, but decided not to say anything. She was bound to find it hard, she had nearly died a few weeks ago. Think about something else like rabbits, or Joan of Arcadia, or umm, umm, anything but that. Yeah, that's it, think about Evanescence. Good. Cass told herself, feeling rather emotional. The thought that Sam might not have made it was horrible.

-----

At 8:30 exactly, Doctor Frasier and Major Carter arrived in the SGC, ready for some hard work. Janet headed straight for the infirmary, leaving Carter to go where she wished. Sophie wasn't arriving for half an hour yet.  
  
She had brief conversations with Siler, Satterfield and Davis as she passed them in the corridors, and Lieutenant Simmons who seemed extremely relieved to see her in one piece. She could tell he had been worried about her. Bless him, she thought, as she waved goodbye as she headed for Hammond's office.  
  
"Hello, sir," She said with a grin, poking her head around Hammond's door. The Texan looked up and smiled.  
  
"Major Carter!" He said warmly, "Sit down, sit down!"  
  
"Thank you sir, I will," She nodded, entering and sitting down infront of his desk. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm very well, thank you. How are you?" He asked, putting all the work on his desk in to his drawer. He rested his arms on the desk.  
  
"I'm okay, thank you sir. Better than I was. It's helping, being out of here, in a house. Not my house, but...it's nice being with Cassy and Janet," She explained. "Wish I was with SG-1."  
  
"Not long now, Major," he assured her. "I am certain Lieutenant Hailey is doing a great job."  
  
"I'm sure she is, sir," Sam agreed. "After all, I did pick her myself."  
  
Hammond chuckled, "yes, yes, you did. When you brought her here that day...I wondered what the hell you saw in that girl, that I couldn't see. I see it now. We all do."  
  
"Yes sir. How are your grandchildren?" She asked, watching as his face lit up. He was such a warm man, she'd always really liked him. He was like her second father. He loved those grandkids.  
  
"They're wonderful. It was Tessa's birthday last week, we had a big party," He replied, pulling a box from the drawer. He pushed it over the desk to Sam, and she opened it. "Photos."  
  
"Oh she is so cute, that's Kayla right?" Sam checked, as she looked at the first photo. "With the shorter hair."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And that's your daughter Georgina?" She asked, showing him the photo of him and a woman of around 35, with long blonde hair.  
  
"Yeah, you've only met her once haven't you?" He asked, trying to think back.  
  
"Her and her husband – Matt? It was New Year's Eve 2002," Sam recalled. "She was beautiful."  
  
"Isn't she?" He grinned. "Looks a lot like my wife when she was younger." Sam finished looking at the photos and slid the box back over to him. He closed it and put it back in to the drawer. "Are you in for long?"  
  
"Until 1. Harrison will have finished his shift by then, and he's going to run me to Janet's," She explained. She had been relieved when he had offered, she didn't fancy spending all day there.  
  
"Good," he said. There was a knock at the door, and Sophie entered. "Good Morning."  
  
"Morning General Hammond. Major Carter, let's go climb that mountain shall we?" Sophie asked, cheerful as ever.  
  
"Mountain? Are you sure? She wasn't walking a week ago," The General frowned.  
  
"It's a metaphorical mountain, sir," Sam laughed. "I'm really just going to be in the gym."  
  
"Oh, the George Mallory quote, I was concerned then," Hammond sighed. "Go get that mountain."

-----

"Hey, Major, you should really leave it at that for today. You've worked very hard, and I don't want you to over-do it," Sophie advised, a fair time later.  
  
"No, I'm not stopping now, just a little longer?"  
  
"All right," She agreed.

-----

By the time she got back to Janet's house, Cassandra was home from her shopping trip. Sam slowly dragged herself in to the living room and crashed down on to the chair. Cass looked up from her magazine. "Hey Sam."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Are you all right? You don't look well. I knew you'd over do it!" She growled. "You need to slow down a little."  
  
"I will, I promise," she smiled. Cassandra nodded, but doubted that she would. "You couldn't make me a cup of tea could you?"  
  
"Sure," the girl nodded, throwing her magazine on to the coffee table.  
  
"Buy anything?" Sam asked, sitting back and closing her eyes for a minute.  
  
"Some white make-up. And my magazine, some black nail varnish and some black eye shadow and lip stick," Cass called from the kitchen, as she reached up in to the cupboard and pulled out a box of Spiced Apple herbal tea.  
  
"Going Goth on me hun?"  
  
"Yehah," Cass replied, switching the kettle on. She jumped up on to the worktop while she waited for it to boil.  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Cool? Mom's gonna go mental," she thought.  
  
"Don't worry about it, it's not like you got a tatoo," Sam laughed. There was a silent pause, and then she added, "Is it?" She frowned.  
  
"No," Cass confirmed, trying to conceal a laugh. She loved messing with people.  
  
"Good."  
  
"It's a piercing," she said, grabbing two mugs from the mug tree.  
  
"WHAT?" At Sam's yell, Cass started laughing out loud. She heard Sam sigh with relief.  
  
"Chill. Joking!"  
  
"Don't do that to me Cass!" Sam shook her head, laughing still.  
  
"You know, I used to be a Goth. After my mom died, for about a year. I really got the guys attention that year. Goth can be very sexy and beautiful," Sam grinned, remembering her self at sixteen and her brother and dad going mad each time a new guy dropped her off. "It can be freaky and ugly too. Depends. Some people do go too far."  
  
"Glad you're cool with it."The next few days were basically the same routine – nightmares, up early, to the base, hours of work with Sophie, and then home. On the Friday, Sam was there in the Gate Room to meet SG-1 as they arrived home.  
  
Jack walked down the ramp and grinned, waving casually to her and then reporting to Hammond. Once he'd done that, he turned back to her. "Hey! How are you?"  
  
"I'm okay, thank you," She smiled. "You?"  
  
"Good...Glad to be off of that planet. Trees, trees, and more trees," He sighed. "Yo Hailey, good job," he called to Jennifer, as she headed out of the room. She nodded and thanked him.  
  
"Wow. You never praise a temp," Sam frowned.  
  
"She didn't get shot! I have more confidence in her now," He explained. "Someone always gets injured, this time, it was Daniel."  
  
"Daniel? Oh god, hey!" She panicked, and then looked up to the ramp to see he and Teal'C were examining some artefact. Daniel looked up, and when he saw her, handed the object to Teal'C. He jogged down the ramp and gave her a gentle hug. "You got shot?"  
  
"What? Yes. Yes, I did," he nodded. "It's nothing, it just grazed my arm."  
  
"Once he stopped screaming, I gave him a shot of drugs. He's much better now aren't ya Danny boy," Jack laughed. "Hey, shouldn't you be at home by now? Resting?"  
  
"I should, but I heard you guys were coming back."  
  
"Liar," Jack said, shaking his head. "You haven't changed which implies you were still working out when the Gate dialled up. You came to meet us."  
  
"You caught me, mommy," Sam grinned. "Could I get a lift to Janet's? I assume you'll be going home after you've seen her, after a long mission like that."  
  
"Yeah, sure. Get cleaned up and get a drink. No labs, no work, no gym. Just blue jello and possibly coffee," he commanded. "I'll meet you there."

* * *

"I have returned," Jack announced as he strolled in to the infirmary, finding Doctor Frasier waiting for him. He jumped up on to the nearest bed.  
  
"Welcome back," She said. "Daniel the only injury?"  
  
"Yes, he is, me, Teal'C and Hails are all fine," Jack nodded. "Hows the living arrangement?"  
  
"It's good," Janet replied, as she put her gloves on. "I think she's struggling. And I think she's probably having nightmares, not that she will tell me."  
  
"Oh," he sighed. "She was still working out before we arrived."  
  
"She was?" Janet growled. "Oh dear. She's working too hard. I've warned her and warned her."  
  
"I said I'd drop her at your place after I'm done here," He told her, "I'll talk to her."

* * *

After they'd had a coffee, Jack drove Sam back to Janet's, and he told her all about the mission, and after around 20 minutes, he finally managed to bring up the subject of her. "Are you over doing it Carter?"  
  
"No...why do you say that?" She frowned, looking out of the window.  
  
"You look worse now than when I left," he told her, bracing himself. She was not going to be happy, but it was the truth.  
  
"But now, I can walk, so I must be better," She shrugged. "I'm almost there. I'm nearly back to being me."----- Two Weeks Later -----"I just don't..." Jack trailed off as he saw his Second In Command knock on the door, and enter.  
  
"Am I interrupting?" She asked, taking a step back.  
  
"Kind of," He sighed, obviously frustrated about something.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill and I were just discussing who should fill in for you. Lieutenant Hailey already has a job, and we can't spare her any longer. She's needed here," Hammond explained, with a half smile. "The Colonel isn't too keen on any of my nine suggestions."  
  
"Oh," She paused for a moment. "I'll come back later."  
  
"No, Colonel O'Neill will come back later," Hammond told her, nodding to Jack. "Dismissed."  
  
"Yes sir," he mumbled, leaving and closing the door behind him.  
  
"What can I do for you Major?" George asked, sitting back in his chair and relaxing slightly. Jack was a great guy, but he didn't half cause some problems for Hammond.  
  
"Sir, I am here to request that you return me to active duty. I'm ready to rejoin SG-1," She announced. There was silence for a minute, and she felt like she was going to be sick. Hammond didn't think she was fit enough.  
  
"I'm not sure, Major, I'd need a report from Doctor Frasier, and," he paused again, and thought for a moment. "I will consider it."  
  
"Thank you sir," she grinned. "Thank you."  
  
On her way out, she made sure she snapped a salute and then closed the door. She descended the stairs, keeping a hand on the rail. She smiled and then paused when she reached the bottom, placing a hand on her stomach. She shook her head and headed off to find Daniel, putting on her best smiley face.  
  
A bit of nausea wasn't going to stop her from getting back to work.

-----

To Be Continued...Feedback Please!


	2. The Truth

**Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman  
  
1.2: Falling Up (Part 2)  
  
By Jolinar Carter**

* * *

Doctor Janet Frasier took a deep breath, and entered the SGC Briefing Room, sitting beside the General, and opposite Colonel O'Neill. Both officers nodded to her, and they began their meeting.  
  
"Major Carter requested a few days ago, that she re-join SG-1 immediately. We're here to determine whether I should grant this request," Hammond announced, although they were all very aware of what was happening. "Colonel O'Neill?"  
  
"Well, I think Carter has been making wonderful progress. She seems almost entirely back to normal. I think provided the missions are low risk, routine meet and greets...if there are such missions...she'd be okay to come back. But I'm not a Doctor. I don't know how well she is...just that she seems better and I can't wait to get her back," Jack shrugged, leaning back.  
  
"I see. Doctor Frasier?" Hammond said, looking over to Janet.  
  
"I'm afraid I will have to say no. I don't believe it is wise to let Major Carter return to active duty yet. At least two weeks. That is my opinion, General. I'm strongly advising you to deny this request," She replied, leaning forward and looking her boss in the eyes. "She's been through a lot, and is barely walking yet. She's going too fast. If she keeps it up, she's going to crash and burn."  
  
"Right," Hammond sighed, sitting back in his chair. "I suggest that you tell her, Jack. It will probably be best coming from you."  
  
"Yes sir," he sighed, scratching his head. "We haven't told her about Jacob yet. When do you think we should?"  
  
"I think we should tell her now," Hammond replied. "She's recovering, and she needs to know. She needs time to grieve. And, she has that time."  
  
"I agree, I know Sam. She'd throw herself in to her work, even more than usual. It would not be good," Janet nodded. "Tell her. Now."  
  
"Okay," Jack said, closing his eyes for a minute. "I'll go see her."

---

Sam looked up from the laptop, the anxiety showing on her face. "Well, what did they say?"  
  
"No, Sam," Jack replied, sitting down next to her. "They said no."  
  
"I don't believe it," she growled, banging her fist on the desk. "I don't believe it. I thought Janet would support me on this!"  
  
"Sam, listen. You've been through a hell of a lot. You're still not fully recovered. You're working too hard now. If you came back to work, you could over do it and make yourself even sicker. We can't have you do that. Plus, if you were in the field in an unexpected situation and you were unable to do your job, then who knows what would happen to you, or me, or Daniel, or Teal'C. You'd be a risk, and you know that," He said, in a soft tone. He had his hand on her shoulder. "It's only a couple of weeks. Work on getting better."  
  
"Oh my god! You doubt me? Seven years and you're doubting my abilities?" She snapped.  
  
"Right now, yes," he nodded sadly. "You need to speak to someone. And you need to slow down. You need to carry on working with Sophie, but you need to slow down a little."  
  
"Oh lord I don't believe this," she yelled, standing up and beginning to storm off.  
  
"Carter, please," he began, and then he stopped and sighed. He stood up, and strided over to her, standing close with only an inch or two between them. "There's something else, something we should have told you a long time ago, but didn't, because of your medical condition."  
  
"What?" She hissed. "You're replacing me?"  
  
"No, god no!"  
  
"Then what?" She asked, frowning. His face was deadly serious, and he looked almost as if he were going to cry. She felt the anger subside and now she was just worried. "What?" She whispered.  
  
"Sam, your Dad, he was killed on a mission a couple of weeks ago," Jack told her, "I am so so so sorry."  
  
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" She screamed repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. She slid down the wall, falling into a heap on the floor. Jack knelt down infront of her and embraced her. "He can't be!"  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"You didn't tell me!" She screamed, pushing him away. "You didn't tell me my father was dead! You bastard! Get out of here, leave me alone!"  
  
"Sam, listen to me, you were doing so well, and we thought that it would hinder your recovery. We told you as soon as we could. It's been awful having to keep something this big from you. Believe me it's been terrible!"  
  
"GET OUT!" She screamed again, rising and picking up the nearest heavy object from her desk. She screamed at him again and lobbed it, hard, towards his face. He ducked and took cover behind the desk. "GET OUT DAMN YOU GET OUT!"  
  
"NO!" He responded, jumping as the hole punch hit the concrete floor. There was silence for a minute, and he poked his head around. He saw that she was just sitting in the corner, staring in to space, crying silently. "You gonna throw anything else?" He asked. When he received no reply, he stood up, brushed himself off and went to sit by her again.  
  
He didn't go to hug her, worrying about what she'd do in this state. He simply took her hand, and sat there with her.

---

Teal'C glanced up at the canteen clock again. It was 2:00pm Tau'ri time. He had not seen O'Neill since 9:00am and he was now an hour late for lunch. He stood up, cleared his tray and then left in search of his friend and CO.  
  
After searching O'Neill's Office, the Infirmary, the General's Office, The Control Room and the Briefing Room, he decided to try Carter's lab. He found O'Neill sat on the floor, holding Carter's hand. They were both staring in to space.  
  
Teal'C made a sort of coughing noise, and O'Neill looked up. "Oh, Teal'C," he said quietly.  
  
"Is Major Carter unwell again?" Teal'C wondered, venturing further inside.  
  
"I told her about Jacob," he replied with a sigh.  
  
Sam looked up at Teal'C, slowly, and then stood up. "Excuse me," she said, and then jogged out.  
  
"I see," Teal'C nodded, sighing himself. "She did not take the news well."  
  
"Who would?"  
  
"Not I."  
  
There was more silence for a few seconds, and then, "She threw a hole punch at me," Jack said, picking up the object and tossing it in to the trash. "Can't blame her. She's supposed to trust me and I keep something like her dad's death covered up."  
  
"We all kept the same secret, O'Neill," T reminded his friend. "Therefore we are guilty together."  
  
"She swore at me too," Jack frowned. "I don't think I've ever seen her that viscious."  
  
"She has a lot weighing heavy on her mind, O'Neill. She was barely coping with her accident, and now she must face the death of her father also. It is a lot to face, is it not?" He asked. "We must simply make it clear that we are here to support her and that she is not alone."  
  
"I know that." Jack nodded. "I remember the death of my folks. I remember what an awful time it was, and how...oh GOD...I gotta go check on her."  
  
"What is it, O'Neill?" Teal'C asked, following Jack out of the room.  
  
"After I found my Mom dead, I very nearly shot myself," He replied.  
  
"We must call security," Teal'C decided.  
  
"No, I know where she'll be," Jack replied, heading straight for her quarters. When she was staying on base, she always used the same room.  
  
They arrived at the room to find the door was locked. "CARTER!" Jack called, knocking on the door. "CARTER, can you open the door please? SAM?" He called, knocking harder. "CARTER!" He called again, banging his fists. "Okay, Teal'C, go get someone."  
  
Teal'C bowed his head and disappeared along the corridor.  
  
"CARTER!" Jack called again. There was a loud thump from inside and then he heard the sound of the door unlocking. There was more noise, and he went in, finding Sam lying on the bed, on her side, crying her eyes out. "Geez, I was panicking."  
  
Sam sighed and shook her head. Teal'C arrived with two SFs.  
  
"Is there a problem here, Colonel?" One of the airmen asked. O'Neill shook his head, and they saluted, and strolled off. Teal'C decided it was best that he also left, closing the door behind him. Jack kicked off his shoes and lay down beside her, putting his arms around her as she cried.  
  
"Let it all out," he whispered, stroking her hair.  
  
And she did.


	3. Marc

**Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman 1.2: Falling Up (Part 3)**

**By Jolinar (at) Carter **

Jack opened his eyes and frowned. He looked to the rooms other occupant, and realised it was Carter. They were both lying in the double bed. Rather, he was on, she was in. He slowly sat up, trying not to wake her, and stretched. He remembered now.

He'd told her.

He'd held her as she cried.

And then they'd fallen asleep.

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:31am. He always woke up at almost exactly the same time every day. He got up, and walked around to the other side of the bed, seeing that Sam was fast asleep. He smiled, and gently adjusted the covers, so that she'd be warm enough.

Quietly, he left, closing the door behind him. He took a shower, and got changed in to clean clothes, before returning to the VIP room. He found that she was still asleep.

His shift didn't begin for a while yet, so he grabbed a magazine from the table and sat down on his side of the bed. Propping the pillows up, he sighed and sat back, opening the April 2002 copy of _Scientists Monthly_. He figured this must have been Sam's.

Although he played dumb, he was actually a pretty smart guy. No theoretical astrophycisist, like her, but fairly bright.

Around ten minutes later Sam turned over and stretched out. Her arm landed on his stomach, and her head ended up on his chest. He thought about moving her, but decided it was best to leave her.

They were alone, and it wasn't like there was anything wrong with her cuddling up to him. She _had_ just lost her Dad.

He yawned again – Sam hadn't stopped crying until around 3:45am. Then Janet had come by and offered a sedative, which he ordered her to accept. She needed to sleep, she wasn't in brilliant health as it was.

He was almost asleep again himself, when he felt her stir. He looked down at her and smiled. "Hey sleepyhead."

"Hi," she croaked, her voice almost gone from all the crying. She closed her eyes again and wrapped her arms around him. He stroked her hair as she cried again, silently. "You...you'd better go," she sniffed, looking at the clock.

"You're more important," he replied, chucking the magazine on to the floor.

* * *

Jack took Sam to see her father's body that afternoon. Daniel and Teal'C were waiting outside. He left her to say her goodbyes in private, and wore a hole in the floor of the corridor as he waited.

He took her home, later on, and they stayed with her. The three guys camped out in her living room for the next few days.

On the Saturday morning, at 9am, Sam called her brother for the first time in two years.

"Marc," she began. "It's Sam."

"Sam, hi, how are you?" Marc asked, surprised to hear from her.

"I don't know how to tell you this," she cried. She paused, and then continued. "It's..."

"Dad." He finished her sentence for her, and she could tell he was crying.

"Are you gonna come up? I'd ask you to stay with me but I was injured, and uh, I have my team staying with me," Sam mumbled.

"I'll be there this afternoon," he said, before hanging up.

Sam dropped the phone, and fell on to the couch, lying down and resting her head on Jack. "Marc is coming here."

* * *

Marc Iain Carter glanced in to the back of his BMW to see his two kids were fast asleep. He sighed, and wished that his father had seen them just once more before he had gone. He really hadn't seen enough of them.

"Marc, honey, are you sure you don't want me to drive? I can take over?" His wife of 12 years, Monica, asked. She had been crying more than he had so far, and she'd only met Jacob a few times.

"No. I'm fine," Marc replied, turning the radio on. He did so not want to talk right now.

Monica turned the volume down and looked back at the kids, relieved to see they were still fast asleep. "We don't want them awake on a drive this long."

"No, you're right. I don't think I could stand Jessica's constant bloody whining," He said, speeding up.

"She's seven, what do you expect?" She snapped. That woke the kids up.

"Mon, I'm sorry I'm being so grumpy. It's just, ya know, my Dad is dead and it's kinda hard for me!" He yelled. Jessica started crying, and Michael started asking questions.

"Grandpa is dead?" Jessica sobbed. They hadn't managed to tell the kids yet. They had picked them up from their friend's houses, bags in the trunk, and set off immediately.

"Yeah, honey, Grandpa Jake has left us. But, you know he's in a much better place now. He's gone to heaven," Monica replied, forcing a smile. "He'll be very happy there and he's going to be looking down and watching you."

"Really?" She sniffed, looking out the window. "He'll be up there?"

"Yep."

"Marc, why don't we stop and have dinner?" Mon suggested, when she spotted a sign for a diner. "Then I'll take over driving."

"Fine. But I want to get to Sam's before it gets dark," He said as he drove in to the diner car park. "So we'd better make it quick."

"How was Auntie Sam?" Michael wondered. He'd always liked Sam, probably because every time they saw her she took them shopping.

"She's upset, honey, she misses him," Mon replied, "We're going to go and see her, and stay in Colorado for a few days."

"Are we staying with Auntie Samantha?" Jessica hoped. Monica shook her head, and she started crying again. Marc rolled his eyes and stopped the car. "I like her house."

"We should tell them," Marc muttered.

"Tell us what?" The kids asked, undoing their seatbelts.

"Auntie Sam got hurt recently..." Monica began.

"How?"

"Well I don't know that. She's not allowed to tell us, remember? Like Grandpa Jake couldn't," Marc told them. He unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"It's classicated?" Jessica said, wiping her eyes.

"Classified, yes," Marc corrected. He opened Jess's door and she gave him a big smile.

"It's okay, Daddy, you still have us," She told him, standing on the seat and giving him a hug. He picked her up and kissed her on the cheek, and then carried her in to the diner, leaving Mon to close the doors and lock up.

"Mom?" Michael spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What were you going to say?" He asked, taking her hand. It was very uncool for a ten year old to hold his mom's hand, but he decided she needed it. She was really upset.

"Sam got hurt, and she's not exactly steady on her feet. So we can't stay with her, because her friends are already there. They're taking care of her while she gets better," Monica told him, as they walked in to the diner. "You've got to be really good around Dad, okay?"

* * *

"We're here," Marc announced as they pulled into Sam's road. There were already 3 cars parked around her house, so he parked opposite her place.

"You ready for this?" Monica asked, unfastening her seatbelt. She reached over and gave her husband a hug. "Come on."

Sam was waiting for them as they carried the sleepy kids up the drive. She ran out to Marc and he put a 70% alert Michael down. He wrapped his arms around her and didn't let go for several minutes.

When he let go, he found that they were alone on the drive. "Come on," he said, looking at her lack of clothing. "You're in your pyjamas, you'll catch a cold."

Sam nodded and followed him inside, and then locked the door. She went in to the living room to find Michael and Jack playing on the Jack's Playstation 2, while Jessica was on her mom's lap, fast asleep in the chair.

Teal'C and Daniel were finishing up their dinner in the kitchen. "Marc," Sam sniffed, joining him on the couch. "I'm glad you're here."

"We're going to stay at a Motel about fifteen miles out," He told her, looking up at the clock on the mantlepiece. "I might send Mon out with the kids in a little while, and get a cab back."

"Oh, okay."

He gave her another hug, and then looked towards the kitchen. "You got any beers?"

"Plenty," Jack replied, getting to his feet. "Hi, I'm Jack O'Neill, Sam's..."

"Boss, yeah, she told me that much," Marc replied, also standing. He shook the colonel's hand. "She's actually told me a lot about you, about how great you are."

"Your sister is an amazing woman," Jack told him as he ushered the younger man into the kitchen. "And she always looks after us when we're going through tough times. We stick together, don't we boys?"

"Oh, hey, I'm Daniel Jackson, and this is Murray Polk," Daniel introduced himself, between mouthfuls of pasta.

Marc nodded to the both of them, "I've heard a lot about you guys as well."

"I didn't think you and Sam spoke much?" Daniel blurted.

"Well, occasionally we call each other," He shrugged, taking his beer from Jack. "Thanks. Can I ask you something?"

"Depends what it is," Jack replied, sitting down beside Murray. "I won't do or say anything that will betray Sam."

"I just want to know if she's...you know...okay? I mean, I know she's upset, but...is she okay? She looks bloody awful," Marc asked, perching on the worktop. "When she said she was injured, I didn't..."

"She will be okay," Jack said, peeling the label from his beer bottle. "She was very critically ill, and we did almost lose her. She is still recovering, and your loss knocked her back. She will recover, and she will be fine, eventually. For now, she's on medical leave, and she's seeing an excellent physical therapist."

"She nearly died and no one informed me? God," He growled. "I hate the Air Force. I always have."

"It all happened very fast, Mr. Carter, and I'm sure that our Doctor would have advised us to call you in if she had thought Sam wouldn't pull through," Daniel replied calmly. "She will be fine, in a couple of months."

"It's getting late, I need to get the kids settled," Marc told them, finishing off his beer and going in to the living room. "Hey, honey, why don't you take the kids to the motel – the one I pointed out earlier – and get us a room. I'll be there later," he suggested to Monica.

She nodded, and he picked his daughter up and carried her in to the hall. "Michael, it's time to go, say goodbye to Auntie Sam," He told the boy. Michael jumped up and carefully gave his aunt a hug. His mom did the same, and then they left.

Marc returned a couple of minutes later, and Sam broke down. "There are so many things I wish I'd said to him!" She cried.

"Me too, Sam," Marc sighed, sitting down beside her. He took her hand. "You saw him a lot recently, right? And you talked things out with him."

"Yeah, I did," She sniffed. "But you didn't."

"Actually, we kind of did. I wish I'd told him that I loved him, and I wish he'd seen Jess and Mike more, but we talked," Marc assured her. "It's always been so hard with him. I wish I could have told him that I forgave him, and believe me I tried to, but I just couldn't."

"It hadn't always been so hard," Sam corrected him. "He thought the world of you, you guys used to be so close. He paid you more attention than me. I wasn't a little boy that could follow in his footsteps."

"Guess he was wrong – you're the Major and I am the attorney," Marc laughed. "At one point, yes. We were close. But when I got to Michael's age, I realised that he wasn't as great as I'd always thought," he explained.

"You hated him."

"Yes. And not because of the way he was with me – not because he missed my birthdays, or my Christmases, or my baseball games. It was because I saw the disappointment in your eyes, every birthday, when he wasn't there. Or every gymnastics meet or dance recital. But you were too little back then. He'd come home from a mission with a huge gift, a new doll or dolls house, and you'd forget all about it. But I was there every time, and I remembered how upset you were. I always did hate to see my little sister upset," he sat back for a moment, and closed his eyes. "I was the only one allowed to make you cry."

"Did you blame him for the accident, all these years? I mean, do you, now?" Sam asked. "Tell me the truth."

"Yes, and no."

"He died well, Marc," Sam told him, snuggling up. "He died happy, and he died knowing that his kids were okay."

"You call your current condition okay?"

"He died knowing that he'd said everything he needed to. He told us he loved us," She continued. "He'd done his best to mend things with you. He did mend things with me. It was okay for him to go, he had no unifinished business."

"I think you're right," he nodded. "Wait a minute...you're the little sister...I'm meant to be comforting you."

"Oh, sorry, big brother," She smiled. "I've missed you. I've missed us being this close."

"Me too," he admitted.

"I remember the way you took care of me, Marc," Sam said, "I remember, after we lost mom, you took care of me. Falling apart yourself, you were more concerned about me. You made sure I made it through. You held me when I cried, you beat up my lousy ex-boyfriend every time he hurt me, you made the lunches and took me to my gym meets. You looked after me, and I never thanked you for that. Not once."

"You never needed to Sam. I did those things because you're my sister," He smiled, stroking her hair.

"We were so close back then. What happened?" She asked.

"What happened, is I left for college. I left you in an empty house, heating up frozen meals while Dad worked til 9. I felt guilty leaving you, but I knew I had to get out and live my life," he replied.

"And I told you to go, when I really wished you'd stay," She remembered. "I couldn't be that selfish, with all you'd done for me."

"You hid your problems, pretended you were fine, and that you didn't need me any more. You yelled and screamed at me, drove me away," He sighed. "I didn't realise at the time what you were trying to do."

"When you got back, I'd changed. And we'd grown apart. I'd gone mad, my hair was five different colours, I dressed like a freak, I'd lost 20lbs and I was an extreme bitch at all times," she recalled, sadly.

"Yep. You were really hard to live with. Couldn't wait to get out again. The drugs and the booze, the guys, the weight...you were so different. I hated seeing you that messed up. Of course, you weren't ready to talk, so I couldn't help you. I tried."

"You married Monica, and moved away."

"And she and my studies took up so much of my time that we never talked any more," he nodded.

"I arrived on your doorstep one night, and you took me in. And we talked, and you helped me. I stayed with you, for a while before I went in to Riverside," she said, realising how good her brother really had been to her.

"It's weird. We were close when we were kids, and we grew apart. We were close when we were teenagers, and we grew apart. We were close in our twenties, and we grew apart. Same now, when you're in your thirties and me in my forties." He laughed.

"I've been really, really terrible Marc, and I'm sorry for that," She apologised. "Everything always seemed so hard and I couldn't cope."

"Let's not grow apart again, sis," He smiled, kissing her forhead. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"These guys are taking good care of you?" He checked.

"Yes, they are. They are wonderful. Murray is a great cleaner, too. Jack provides the entertainment, and Daniel is a great cook. They're not letting me do anything at all!" She grinned.

"Well, if they are staying with you again tonight, I guess I should be going," He decided. "Monica will be waiting."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Ooh," she groaned. "Help me up."

He gave her a hand up and they went out in to the hall. She opened the door and then gave him a tight squeeze. "Tomorrow I'll take you to see the body."

"Right," he nodded. "I'll be here at ten."

"We need to talk about the funeral, too," she told him. "I'll call you a cab now."

"Ten," he nodded. He shot her a small smile, and then left. She watched him walk down to the end of the drive, and shut the door.

"Colonel, can you call Marc a cab please?" She requested, falling on to the couch. Daniel and Teal'C were sat either side of her seconds later. "You guys were listening, huh?"

"We tried not to...but you were kind of loud," Daniel shrugged. "Sorry. We didn't hear much."

"It's okay. You're like my brothers. There are things I haven't told you yet, but that's because they haven't come up. I have nothing to hide from you. Especially now you know about my teenage years. Or some of it, anyway."


	4. Visiting The Body

Daniel Jackson hummed to himself as he prepared breakfast. He looked at the clock, and smiled. "Hey, Jack, keep an eye on breakfast for me," he told the body that was occupying the couch. "Jack?"

"I'm awake," Jack groaned. "I'll watch breakfast. You go get Sam up."

"Will do," Daniel nodded, walking down the hall. He knocked on Sam's door. "Sam? Sam?"

"Come in," Samantha Carter replied, slowly sitting up in bed. "Ugh."

Daniel went inside and grinned. "Morning. I'm making pancakes." Sam's face lit up when she heard the menu, and she began to get out of bed. He helped her up and then went over to the wardrobe, as he did every morning. "Right, what do you want to wear today?" He asked.

She studied the wardrobe for a moment. "The black shirt and skirt," she replied.

"Good choice, madam," Daniel nodded, getting the clothes down. He laid them on the bed and then turned around so that he couldn't see her dressing. He heard the drawers open, and Sam sitting down on the bed shortly after. "Are you decent now?" He asked.

"Yep," She replied, turning to face the wall. "Can you give me a hand with the shirt though? Man I can't wait to be able to stretch properly you know. And get dressed completely by myself. And wear bras!"

"Won't be long," He assured her, turning around. He picked the shirt up from the bed and helped her get it on. "There. I'll go make sure our breakfast hasn't been burnt. I had to leave Jack watching over it." He paused, and added, "Your back looks pretty good."

"Thanks. In the future, leave Teal'C. I've taught him the basics of Tau'ri cooking," She said. "Pizza, home made or frozen, ready meals...he can use an oven which is more than the Colonel."

"Oi!" Came a growl from the living room.

She emerged a couple of minutes later and headed straight for the kitchen. She sat down beside Teal'C at the table. "Morning, Teal'C."

"Good morning Samantha-Carter," Teal'C smiled. He was doing that a lot more these days. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not too badly," she yawned. "Where's the Colonel gone?"

"Bathroom," Teal'C stated, returning to the paper he'd been reading. "What does W.L.T.M. stand for?"

Daniel laughed, "Would like to meet. Sam, take the paper off him."

"Okay," she nodded. "That was the personal ads. People put an ad in the paper if they want to find a partner."

"I see," Teal'C frowned. "Bizzare." That seemed to be his favourite word at the moment. He liked words with a Z.

"Good morning campers!" Jack said as he stretched and then joined his team at the table. "What time is Marc coming?" He asked, looking up at the clock. "It's almost 8:30."

"He said about 10," Sam replied. "Plenty of time. Hey, Daniel, you couldn't make me a blackcurrant tea could you please?" Daniel nodded, and put the kettle on. "Thank you!"

"I was thinking maybe we should leave you guys alone for a while, you and Marc," Jack told her, reaching over and stealing the paper from Teal'C. "We can go see a movie and go back to my place for a while."

"Yeah, it might be best if you go home for a while," she nodded. "I bet you're getting sick of this place, being trapped in here all day."

"No, no, not at all!" Jack exclaimed. "No, I just think you need some time with Marc. We could show his wife...Marie...and the kids where the movie theater is."

"Monica, and yes, that would be good."

"Settled," He said, "What are the kids names again?"

"Jessica and Michael. Jess is seven and Michael is ten," Sam replied, proudly. She was obviously very fond of her niece and nephew. "Every time they come here, I always take them to the mall and we go shopping, and then we get an ice cream and see a film and then go to McDonalds. I'd like to do that this time."

"You sure you're up to it?" Jack frowned. "I mean, you just lost your Dad, and you're still not well..."

"I'll just take Teal'C to scare them in to behaving," Sam smiled, winking at the Jaffa. "No, really, it might be good to take my mind off of things. Besides, I never get to see them, I'd feel guilty if I didn't spend a little time with them while they're here."

"Okay, tomorrow. But you should ask Janet or Cassy to go with you," Daniel suggested, placing her drink infront of her. "Pancakes are now ready."

"Cassy, good idea," Sam agreed. "I'll call her later."

* * *

Jack and Daniel dropped Monica and the kids off at the mall and then headed back to Sam's house. Only Teal'C remained. "Samantha and Marc went to see the body of Jacob-Carter at the Air Force Academy Morgue facility."

"Right," Jack said. "Teal'C, why don't we go back to my place? I need to grab some stuff. Daniel, you're welcome to come, unless you want to go back to yours?"

Daniel shook his head, "No, I have everything I need."

* * *

"I think we should go," Marc finally said, putting his arm around his sister. "Sam," he said. She hadn't heard him. "Sam."

"What?"

"Sam I think we should go," he told her again. She nodded and they left the morgue, his arm still wrapped around her. During the slow walk back to the car, Marc stopped her. He motioned to a bench, and they sat down.

"Thanks, but I can make it the rest of the way," she said. He looked at her, studying her face, and she started to cry. He knew she'd been trying desperately not to.

"Shh, it's okay," he told her, pulling her into a hug. He felt himself start to cry. After a couple of minutes, she pulled back, and wiped her eyes. "Sam, I think you should come and stay with me again."

"Marc, I..."

"We have a spare room and you're welcome to use it for a few weeks," He continued. "You should get away for a while, and be with your family. You should be with us."

"Marc, I have to stay in Colorado Springs, I'm sorry. I need to stay with my friends, and I need to keep going in to work to see Sophie. I can't come home with you. At least, not right now. Maybe in a couple of months..." Sam began. "Thank you, but I'm being taken care of. You need to take care of yourself this time. I'm okay. Make sure you are."

"My offer still stands if you change your mind," he sighed. "I really wish you would come. How about you just think about it for a while?"

"Okay. I'll think about it," she agreed, standing up. "Come on, we should be getting back."


	5. Shopping

Notes: Ok, I admit, bit of a weird part. Sorry about that...the writers amongst you will know sometimes you can get a little stuck, and you need certain things to happen when they might not really fit...

* * *

Jessica Carter tugged at the bottom of Sam's leather jacket for the tenth time. "Auntie Sam, please!"

"Jessica, don't whine," Sam told her, getting fed up fast. She saw the girl's sad eyes and caved in. "Okay, I give in. You can have a cookie as well as an ice cream. Just don't tell your parents."

"Auntie Sam, Mom makes us eat fruit and vegetables and salad six days a week and gives us a few sweets on a Sunday. We eat healthy," Michael explained.

"Junk food it is then," she smiled. "Cassy?" She called over her shoulder. The teenager was lagging behind. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yes, fine," she replied unconvincingly.

"We're going to the park in a minute," Sam told her. "We can talk then."

"Okay," Cass nodded. "So where next?"

"The toy shop," Jessica replied, pulling Sam towards the store. "We always go."

"JESSICA!" Michael yelled, pulling his sister off of his aunt. "Aunt Sam is not well, you need to be careful. Sorry, she's really stupid."

Sam laughed, "It's okay, and she's not stupid. She's just little. Why don't you and Jessica go ahead?"

The kids ran off in to the store and Sam and Cassy walked slowly inside. "What's up, sweetie?"

"I don't know," the 17-year-old shrugged. "I can't stop thinking about home, and you, and..."

"I get it," Sam nodded. "You lost your first family, and you thought you were going to lose me. And it scared you."

"Yes, it did, but I can't put it out of my mind. The thought that you, or any of SG-1, or even Mom could get killed. I can't stand the thought!" She sniffed. She wiped her eyes, and smiled. "Come on. If there is one thing I learned from babysitting it's don't let your eye off of a child under the age of 11, especially in a toy store."

Sam grinned and followed her down the Barbie aisle. "Cassy, I realised I never said thank you for taking care of me the other week. So, I'll say it now. Thank you."

"You would and have done the same for me," Cass shrugged. "I wish you hadn't moved out though. It seemed quite sudden."

"Yeah, well, I think I needed to be in my own house for a little," Sam told her. "You understand?"

"I think so," The Goth nodded. She was clad in a long black skirt and a black shirt with a purple cat on it. She was wearing a choker and a beautiful bracelet that Sam had bought her. She looked stunning. "You know you're welcome to come back if you need to. Mom is worried, she wanted you to stay longer."

"I know, I know."

"Did you tell her about the nightmares?" Cass hoped. She knew straight away what Sam was going to say, and sighed.

"No, sweetie. They've stopped now," Sam lied.

"Really?" Cassy blinked. She didn't buy it.

"Well, those ones have. I have others. But, I'm handling things. And the guys are taking care of me," Sam shrugged, picking up a Vet Barbie. "I remember buying a few of these for you."

"Please, don't embarrass me. I was 11, and the best I'd had until then was a rag doll. I thought a toaster was magic," Cassandra replied quietly, taking the box and putting it back on the shelf.

"Remember your twelth birthday, Daniel was worried that you were too old for dolls. I explained that you weren't, because you'd never had any. And so we bought you loads, and you made Jack play Ken and T...Murray play Miss Kimmie. And then of course Daniel was her little sister," Sam laughed.

"Oh god yes. And Daniel gave in and then he started doing this little doll voice. It was so funny," Cassy recalled. They just stood there, laughing for a moment. "It seems like such a long time ago. Oh god, and Jack...with the..."

"Doesn't it?" Sam felt a hand on her arm and she turned around to see Michael, standing patiently, with a game box in his hand. "Hey Michael, what you got there?"

"Auntie Sam, please may I have this?" He asked politely, handing it to her. She looked at Cassy, and grinned. He had always been a very sweet kid, very polite. Secretly, he was her favourite of the two siblings. Probably, she noted, because she had been more like Michael than Jessica during her childhood.

"A new game, sure, honey," She agreed. "That looks good. Maybe you could let Colonel O'Neill have a go later? I don't think he has that one."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll go find Jessica, she's wondered off again. I think she's looking at the teddy bears." He marched off, leaving his aunt and Cassandra laughing.

"Oh he is soooo cute," Cass said. "Can I take him home with me?"

"I don't think my brother would like that," Said Sam. "But you could ask..."

* * *

There was a knock at the door, and Jack O'Neill frowned. Daniel looked at him, silently asking if he was expecting anyone. The older man shrugged, and went to open the door.

He found Marc Carter.

"Mr O'Neill..." Marc began. Jack did not like the look in his eye, or the tone of his voice today.

"Colonel. But, as you're Sam's relative, it's Jack," He replied, standing aside so that Marc could enter.

"You're wondering how I found you?" Carter asked, as he entered the living room. He heard the door slam, and then Jack was behind him.

"Yes. Among other things – for example, why you're here..." Daniel and Teal'C shifted over to make room for Jack on the couch. He sat down.

"May I sit?" Marc asked.

"I guess."

"I asked Sam to come home," he told them, setting down on the chair opposite.

"She's at the mall. She'll be back in about an hour," Jack replied, picking up his beer and taking a swig. "I don't have any more beers. Sorry. But I guess you have to drive anyway."

"Not to her home, I mean my home." He shifted in his seat.

"Why?"

"Because she needs to be with family, that's why!" He exlaimed, sitting back. He shook his head. "She's thinking about it."

"She is with family. Us!"

"Oh really?"

"We may not be any blood relation, but we are family," Jack replied angrily. "We are family. For the last seven years, I've comforted her when she's upset, I've taken care of her when she's sick, I've made her laugh. The three of us have been there for her, every time she needed us. We've always been there for her. Where have you been?"

"I appreciate all you've done for her. All that you will do for her. But, she needs to come home. She should heal at home, with me. I've always known whats best for her. I've always been able to help her," Marc was still fairly calm, although there was something about him that was getting Jack angrier by the second. "We lost our father, and my family is all she has now. I only want her to stay for a few weeks, until she's back to full health."

"For fucks sake, _Marc_, she's 34 years old. She's old enough to make her own choices!" He exclaimed, standing up. He was waving his hands about, and shaking his head. "34."

"I don't agree. I practically raised Sam. I think I know better than you what she needs. When we lost my mom, she changed. A lot. She got in to some really bad shit, and I don't want her losing grip again," Marc was clearly over reacting. The guys couldn't believe it. He thought that she was still a little kid. Jack wondered how well Marc would cope with all that she'd been through the last seven years. Jack seriously doubted he'd be able to do it.

"She doesn't have an addiction, she isn't self-destructive. Not this time, anyway. She doesn't have an illness affecting her mind," Jack argued. "She lost her father, and she is recovering from severe injuries. These injuries do not affect her ability to make decisions. She's finding it hard to cope - I know that. I think anyone would. But her going home with you isn't the answer. Maybe, in the past, it was. But she doesn't need you to take care of her. She's a Major in the Air Force. She didn't get there from being weak. She can handle this, she can get through. She's very capable. She's changed a lot. I think you're still living in 1983!"

"And we are here to help her. We won't let her give up. We're going to help her. We are helping her. You need to do the same," Daniel contributed.

"I thought I was," Marc sighed, closing his eyes for a second.

"I know. Just, trust her. Try to see her the way we do," Jack said, sitting back down. He was cooling off now.

"I'm just trying to look out for my baby sister. She's the only one I have," Marc said. Teal'C...rather, Murray, bowed his head, and Daniel nodded.

"I can understand that."

"Me too." Jack agreed. "Do you want a soda or something? We were just gonna start watching the game."

"Sure, a soda would be good," Marc nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks." He got up and followed O'Neill into the kitchen, to O'Neill's surprise. "Colonel...Jack..."

"Yes?" Jack asked as he rummaged through his fridge.

"Uh, Sam talks about the three of you guys a lot when we're on the phone. But mostly she talks about you."

"I'm popular," Jack shrugged. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not aware of regulations, Jack. Not really. But I do know it's against rules to have feelings for your Commanding Officer."

"Oh no, you found out about me and Murray! Don't blame him, it's all my fault really..." Jack joked, grabbing himself a packet of chips from the cupboard.

"I think Sam loves you, Jack. She's never talked about anyone the way she talks about you."

"Really?" Jack handed him the soda, and walked back in to the living room with his chips. "If you're trying to ask if we're dating, or...well, we're not. We are incredibly close friends. Best friends. Dating? No. There can be nothing between us while we are Air Force Officers."

"That's a shame," Marc smiled. "You make her very happy. I can tell." He paused. "I'm sorry...I don't even know if you feel the same. I guess I was kind of hoping that there was something more between you. I don't want her to be alone."

"She isn't alone," Jack objected, sitting down.

"She has plenty of friends, Jack. I mean someone to come home to."

* * *

I realise this isnt much like Dr Frasier Medicine Woman yet as there isnt much Janet, but there will be. Besides, Doctor Quinn was all about the whole village. This is about the whole SGC!!


	6. Funeral

Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman

1.2: Falling Up (Part 6)

By Jolinar Carter

* * *

"Mom!" Cassandra Frasier called at the top of her voice, stood impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. When she received no reply, she yelled again. "Mom!"

Janet's head popped around the bathroom door. "What? I'm kind of busy here, sweetheart, running my bath."

"It's the General, I just thought you might want to take his call..." Cassy began, climbing up the stairs. She reached the door and passed the phone in to her adoptive mother.

"Oh, okay, yes. Thanks," Janet nodded, and then disappeared in to the room, closing the door. "Hello, General? Yes. I see. Of course. As soon as I talk to SG-1, sir, yes. Certainly. Goodbye."

She sighed, and turned off the tap. She wouldn't get to have that nice, relaxing bath after all.

Five minutes later, she was downstairs and putting on her shoes. She picked up the phone again and paused. Who should she call? She decided Jack O'Neill was the best choice. She couldn't call Sam, she was too busy with the funeral and everything, plus she still wasn't back to full health. True, Jack would probably be taking care of her, but...her thoughts were cut off when her daughter fell on to the couch beside her.

"So you're going off world?" Cass guessed. "And you're trying to decide who should watch me."

"Yeah, sorry honey," Janet sighed. "Jack okay?"

"I am sixteen you know, and SG-1 have enough on their plates," The teenager began.

"You're older now, so perhaps you can help out," she shrugged. "Help Sam through this tough time."

"Okay, make the call," Cassandra agreed, tying her hair in a messy ponytail. "I'll go clean my teeth."

Janet checked the clock and decided that it was probably a good idea to call his cell phone not his home phone. He'd probably be with Sam by now. She guessed they all would. "Hi, Colonel? It's Janet. I have to go off world and I was wondering...yes. Oh, really? Yeah, if you're sure it's no trouble. I agree. Yes. Thanks, I'll drop her off on my way in. Thanks again sir. Bye."

* * *

Cassandra kissed Janet on the cheek and then jumped out of the jeep. "Good luck," she shouted, as she closed the door. "Don't take too long."

"You've got everything? Overnight bag?" Janet checked for the fifth time. Cassandra shot her a smile, nodded down to her messenger bag, and then turned to walk up the drive. Jack opened the door, and waved to the doctor as she drove off.

"Cass Cass!" Jack exclaimed, stretching out his arms, signalling that he wanted a hug. She laughed as she gave him a hug and then walked in to the house. "Sam is having a bath, so after she's done perhaps you can help her get changed in to her funeral clothes?" He suggested, after he'd closed the door. "Daniel was going to do it, but..."

"Sure," Cass agreed, throwing her bag down in the hall. "How's she handling it?"

"You know Sam," Daniel replied, standing up, as they entered the lounge. "Hi Cassy. You look great. The Goth thing works well."

"Thanks."

"She's a tough woman, she survives," Jack replied, picking up his soda from the coffee table. "When you went to see her that time, oh so long ago, when Jolinar had just died, she actually spoke. She hadn't said anything, or even moved, for a while. Not acknowledged we were there, even. But you got her talking, and then she started to get better. What I'm trying to say, is that she gets better when she has you close to her."

"Really?"

"Really. You're one of the most important people in her life," He continued. "So I'm glad you're here, to help her through it."

"Thanks," She blushed. "So, is Marc here?"

"No. They're meeting us there at 3," Daniel explained. He was sat back down now, nursing a beer. He was allowed one, as he wasn't the designated driver (they had drawn straws, and Jack had lost) and recently, he'd aqquired quite a taste for it. He was drinking at not yet 10am. Jack's doing. "Evil ba..." he muttered.

"What was that?" Cassy grinned, sitting down beside him. She kicked off her shoes and put her feet up on to the sofa, snuggling up to him. "You didn't just swear did you, Doctor Jackson?"

"No...I was going to say evil Ba'al. I was just drifting off..." Daniel shrugged. "Fine. Yes."

There were several clatters, and then the sound of a door unlocking. Jack and Cassandra both stood up. "Right, why don't you go and help her?" He said, with a smile.

"Yep, on my way," she said, before marching off down the hall. She met Sam as she walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a blue robe. "Hey Sam."

"Hi Cassy..." Sam replied quietly, and fairly weakly. She gave the girl a hug, and then went in to her room, Cassandra following behind. "I'm okay."

"I think you might need a hand with that zipper," She observed. "Don't want to pop a stitch or anything."

"Okay," she nodded as she started to get dressed. Cass sat down on the bed, making herself at home. She liked Sam's house, it was very comfortable. Welcoming. "So I assume Janet went off world?"

"Yeah. She did. I hope she'll make it back for later. She said to give you a big hug, from her," Cass reported, examining her nails, which were freshly painted, in a lovely shade of...black. She sighed and leant back. "I miss my father all day, every day. My mother and father. I thought I'd never get over it. And I didn't, but I learnt to live without them. You will too. Like you did with your Mom."

"Thanks, Cassandra," Sam sniffed. "You've lost a lot. I admire you, you know. You lost not just your parents, but your whole planet. And you've adjusted to life here so well. You're amazing. So strong."

Cass was blushing again. "Let's get that zipper."

The girls finally arrived in the living room half an hour later, and Sam took her place on the couch between Daniel and Jack. Cassy crashed in to the armchair, and started to reach for the rest of a beer lying on the table. She saw the guys glaring at her, and withdrew her hand.

There was silence – nobody really knew what to say.

Cassandra finally broke the silence, standing, and heading for the kitchen. "Do you want anything, Sam?"

"Yeah, a blackcurrant tea would be good," She agreed, with a small smile. She was sat leaning on Daniel, her head resting on his chest. She was silently crying, and sniffing every few minutes. "Oh Daniel."

* * *

Janet Frasier landed with a thud at the bottom of the steps. She felt a hand on her back, and the next thing she knew, she was standing up. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw that Lieutenant Cabot had lifted her up and stood her on her feet. She smiled up at the giant, and then turned to the rest of the team.

The Lieutenant from the injured team was sat against the DHD. He'd sent a message through to Earth, spoken briefly to Hammond and then waited for the medical team to come through. He looked exhausted. "Lieutenant MacKenzie, where are the rest of your team?"

"I left them about two miles from here. We'd better hurry – Hailey was hurt bad," The Lieutenant replied, pointing as he spoke. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "I was sent because I was the only one who could walk."

"Are you able to take us to your team?" She asked, moving closer to him. She knelt down beside him, and gently rolled up his bloody sleeve.

"I think so, ma'am," he nodded. "I got shot but it's nothing. Just a little blood. My team are a lot worse than me."

"Let's go," Janet commanded. "Can you tell me any more about the injuries of the others?" She asked MacKenzie, as she helped him stand up. Once he was on his feet, she let go, and he started walking.

"Our CO, Keys, was shot in the leg. I don't think it's too serious, and our second in command, Bradley, she sprained her ankle helping Keys to safety. She decided as she had the best medical training, and my legs were fine, I should go and she should stay and look after the others," he explained, shaking his head. "It was a horrendous fight. Hailey was the first to get hit, but she...she kept fighting. She saved our asses, ma'am. She took an arrow to the shoulder though."

"Been there, treated that," Someone on the medical team muttered, thinking back to the second year when Colonel O'Neill had took an arrow himself. That had been one memeroable case. "Not good."

"Don't worry," The doctor said with a small yet amazingly comforting smile, "We'll take care of it." The young soldier nodded, knowing that she was the best doctor at the SGC, which meant she was probably the best in the world.

He was starting to feel odd, but he decided not to mention it. He was relatively healthy, compared to the others.

* * *

"Sam?" O'Neill called, gently. "Sam?"

She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sir..."

"Sam, I don't want to rush you, but...Marc has left...everyone has left. We should be heading to your place for the wake..." He said, sitting down beside her on the bench. He sat for a moment, in silence, not knowing what to do, and then just took ahold of her hand.

They sat there for a while longer.

"Oh my god," MacKenzie breathed, as he saw Hailey lying in a pool of blood, head on Major Bradley's lap. The medics were right behind him in the gloomy cave. "Is she..."

"She's alive," Bradley nodded. "Thank god you're here."

"Shelby, you take Keys, I'll take Hailey. Cabot, make sure Major Bradley is alright," Janet ordered, taking off her backpack and removing the medical kit. "Jennifer? Jennifer?" She gently shook the patient. "It's Doctor Frasier. We're going to get you home, you're going to be fine. Major, do you think the arrow could have been poisoned? That's happened before."

"Possibly," Bradley shrugged, wincing as Cabot saw to her ankle. "I'm not sure. Sorry."

"It's okay," Janet mumbled, as she rummaged through her pack.

"Janet," Shelby called over from Keys' side. "Staff Blast...we do need to get him home."

"Okay, Watts, Dorien, Cabot, you get Major Bradley and Colonel Keys back to the SGC. You'll need to take Keys on the stretcher and Cabot just support Bradley," Janet decided, but Cabot just picked the woman up. She was not much taller than Janet. "Or just pick her up..." Watts and Dorien loaded the colonel on to the stretcher, and the team soon departed.

Janet and Shelby exchanged worried glances, and then turned to their patient. "Alright, let's..."

* * *

Disposing of her gloves, Janet Frasier then stretched and left the infirmary, heading straight for the Locker Room.

Colonel Charles Keys was now recovering in Bay 3, he was in no danger although he did have a nasty Staff Blast Wound. She hadn't heard many details of the mission, but she guessed that the inhabitants of that world were serving the Goa'uld. If they had Staff Weapons, it was probably a correct assumption.

Major Amy Bradley was in the bed next to him, resting. She'd be out the next morning – Janet had kept her in for the same reason she always kept Carter in with fairly minor injuries – if you let her lose, she'd be straight to work.

Harper MacKenzie was in Bay 7, fast asleep. After aiding Shelby and Janet in their work, he had then carried Hailey to the Gate. Or at least, halfway to the Gate. He handed her to Shelby, and then fell unconscious. A few minutes later, he awoke, and managed to make it back to the Stargate. Then, he collapsed again, on to one of the two gurneys waiting at the bottom of the ramp.

He had lost a lot of blood, and it turned out he was now quite badly anaemic. He had a small head wound and his arm was worse than he had made out. However he would be fine.

And finally Jennifer Hailey was in a side room. She'd be there for quite a while, but Janet was confident that she'd be back to work in a few weeks. The arrow had not been coated in poison, thankfully, and she was a strong young woman.

Janet was yawning as she reached the women's locker room, and took a towel from her locker. She would have a very quick shower, and then attend the wake being held for Jacob, at Sam's house. No rest for the wicked.

* * *

"Hey," Janet nodded, as she walked through the door. "Sorry, no beer, but...I didn't have time."

The Colonel chuckled, "Don't be silly. You look exhausted, go sit down." He closed the door and then ushered her in to the living room.

There was quite a crowd, but that didn't surprise her. What did was the fact that there were several Tok'ra, dressed in civilian clothes, mingling with the guests. She scanned the room, and one man caught her eye.

She summed up all her courage, and walked over to him. "Hi," she began, "I'm Janet Frasier."

The man bowed his head – definitely Tok'ra – and smiled. "I am glad to meet you, Janet Frasier. I am Bryalle of the Tok'ra."

"The famous Bryalle," Janet laughed. "I remember Colonel O'Neill mentioning you. He didn't mention that you were so cute."

"I should hope not," Bryalle said, "for he is a man."

"True. Very true." She could see Cassandra was busy chatting with the General and Daniel, so she decided it was allright to stay with Bryalle for a little while. But after a few minutes, she would have to try and find Sam.

When she did finally catch up with her friend, she was ever so slightly drunk. "Hey Sam."

"Hi," Sam sniffed, wiping her eyes. Janet had found her sitting in the back garden, on one of the benches, crying her eyes out. Marc had been with her, but he'd left ten minutes earlier, as it was getting late and it was long past the childrens bedtime.

"Sorry I couldn't make it earlier," Janet apologised, although it had been out of her control.

"No, a team needed you more than I did," Sam told her. "The guys and Cass have been wonderful."

"You're my best friend. I wish I could have been here," the smaller woman sighed, sitting down. She pulled her friend in to a hug. "But I'm here now, for as long as you want me."


End file.
